Los Angeles Rams sign RB Ronnie Rivers

Ronnie Rivers' one-year, $1.1M extension earns a C Contract Value Index (CVI) — a middling value proposition that reflects the risk-reward calculus of a depth running back on a modest salary in a thin margin market. At $1.1M AAV, this is replacement-level money, the kind of deal a team structures to retain a roster-filler contributor without meaningful cap strain or long-term commitment. The single-year structure provides maximum flexibility: the Rams can cut him clean in the offseason with zero dead-cap consequence, a safety valve that softens the downside but also signals limited confidence in sustained production or role expansion. For a player operating outside the featured-back conversation, the low AAV works in his favor — he's not overpaid relative to his expected snap count and touch volume, which keeps the CVI from dipping into D territory. The real question is opportunity cost: with the Rams sitting at 12-5 and the #5 seed heading into a playoff window, every roster dollar and depth slot matters, and this extension locks in only moderate insurance against backfield attrition rather than genuine upside. CVI holds steady because the deal is what it appears to be — economical for what it buys, but not a steal and not a mistake, either.